Performance and Driving Impressions Rating:

The Stinger has mastered straight-line speed and returned solid numbers during our track testing. It comports itself well in normal driving, but when pushed to the limit, it couldn’t quite match the composure of its more established competition.

Acceleration

Both V-6 models laid down impressive zero-to-60-mph and quarter-mile times at the test track, while the 2.0-liter version put up a good show against some of the best four-cylinder engines in the business. The all-wheel-drive V-6 Stinger GT came in but 0.2 second behind the rear-drive version to 60 mph, and both models were going significantly faster than most of the competition listed here when they cracked the quarter-mile. The Stinger was aided in its test runs by its quick-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission, which offers blink-and-you’ll-miss-them upshifts. After some experimentation with the standard wheel-mounted paddle shifters, we deemed them slow to react when downshifts were demanded, so we mostly stuck to the transmission’s native programming.

Test Results: Acceleration, Kia Stinger

Test Results: Acceleration, Kia Stinger GT

Ride, Handling, and Steering

The numbers paint a pretty picture for the Stinger. On the skidpad—a test of a car’s ability to hold the road when cornering—the GT managed 0.93 g of lateral grip with rear-wheel drive and 0.91 g with all-wheel drive. Those figures alone would put it on a level with the likes of the Audi A4 and the BMW 3-series, but our seat-of-the-pants feeling says the Stinger doesn’t deserve to take a place on that podium just yet. When pushed hard, we identified some protestations from the rear suspension—an unnerving side step when cornering hard on a humpy road—while some fore-and-aft pitching accompanied our all-out acceleration and braking runs. A four-cylinder Stinger—on all-season rubber as opposed to the summer performance tires on the GT—was less planted on the skidpad, returning 0.88 g of grip.

Test Results: Maximum Cornering Capability

Every Stinger comes with five selectable drive modes—Comfort, Sport, Smart, Eco, and Custom—while GT1 and GT2 trims add an adjustable suspension with two settings. Switching between the drive modes affects transmission programming, throttle tuning, steering weight, and even the additional engine thrum that is piped into the cabin. Custom mode allows drivers to mix and match each of those settings separately.

Braking

All GTs feature powerful Brembo brakes. The rear-drive GT stopped from 70 mph in 156 feet, while the all-wheel-drive model halted in 164 feet. Those are quick stops by any measure and fit in nicely within this class of high-performing sedans. Without the Brembos and rolling on less grippy all-season tires, a four-cylinder Stinger needed 182 feet to come to a stop. That result isn’t quite damning, but it’s also not impressive—in this class or any other.

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